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The Siege of Sudniv
Aye, I've fought the Baarskins before, many a' time, but this were something different. Even before the battle there were something queer in the air. Aye we drank and gambled and played as soldiers do on the eve of war, but there was scant laughter, the drink didn't lift our spirits, and the bets we placed held no value. There was a sense of something ending, one way or another, and none of us could shake it. ''- Arkadi Poklev, a survivor of Sudniv. His retelling was part of Dhorid Kani's book, The War of the Waves, a history of the fight against Xhahon Dor up to 9DE, published to stir support for mobilisation in Ruhx and Suhli.'' The Siege of Sudniv was a critical battle in the war against the Primordial Xhahon-Dor. With the safety of the great northern city of Novdahain on the line, heroes and exarchs battled hosts of monstrous sea creatures and blood-mad cultists on the windswept shore, desperate to defend the ancient keep of Sudniv. Members A band of three warriors who almost single handedly turned the fight were: Nathad Filliat - A Half-Orc slayer and veteran of the struggle against Xhahon-Dor, he had survived the events of Shadows in the Water and had come north to the front lines. Tsin Morai - A warrior from Josai who became involved in the battle, despite his role as a diplomat and spy. Third Star - An enigmatic traveler of Farthrone and master of the Many-Hands psionic style. The Fortress of Sudniv Mighty she stood back then, and by the gods and spirits she stands even mightier today. Her walls run right up to the shore in places, and her dock is a great cleft in the land. By the time Belikrov came, she was in a sorry state, and her walls and buttresses looked much like ourselves; tired, wind-beaten and worn out. Still, without her we would all be fish food, pardon the pun. I owe the walls of Sudniv my life, and I will die before leaving them to these monsters. ''- Arkadi Poklev, now garrison commander of Sudniv, which was repaired and expanded following the victory.'' Having spent some time in the Sudniv, the three heroic warriors had met each other often, exchanging stories and eating together with the soldiers in the fort. They saw firsthand the grim post Sudniv had become, filled with the wounded, barely supplied and with a tired but determined garrison. The band also noticed the increasing presence of the Cult of Belikrov, administering the Waxen Gift to the dying, as well as those who feared they might not live past the next battle. The leader of the cult, Alyssa, appeared suspicious to the party, not least because of her habit of riding off in the night to nearby villages, hamlets and battlefields, and returning the next morning with a fresh following of Waxen troops. The Flank We knew the attack was coming, so when Alyssa and those other warriors left that morning, morale took a big hit. A lot of the greener lads, or the people who weren't from Novdahain started talking about falling back. But us of older, Northern stock knew better. It was here and now, or the streets of Novdahain would run red with blood. ''-Arkadi Poklev. Having lost his right leg below the knee in the Battle of Sudniv, Arkadi accepted the Waxen Gift, certain he would die of infection.'' The band of warriors were contacted by Alyssa, who claimed she had information on a surprise attack on land that would come before the main force, hitting Sudniv from its vulnerable north-eastern side. A suicide mission hoping to spread chaos and destruction, Alyssa requested that the heroes stop it at all costs. They agreed, and Third Star accepted the Waxen gift, so that his body might serve in the struggle past his death. Tracking the landing of the small craft of Xhahon-Dor's forces, the party followed their trail to a nearby village, where the marauding band had chanced upon Alyssa herself, who had been administering the Waxen gift to the people there. Engaging the monstrous band of Were-Sharks, Barbarians and Skum, the warriors annihilated them, ending the threat to Sudniv's eastern front. They raced back with Alyssa to the fortress to prepare for the battle. The Plan We weren't privy to their plan, oh no, but we followed their instruction anyway. It takes strong leaders to win a war, and while these men didn't talk much, they had a different look in their eye to the rest of us. They showed no fear, no pause. Their minds were on the struggle ahead, the coming months, years even. We could barely manage to hope for tomorrow. So we followed them. ''- Arkadi Poklev's description of the heroes of Sudniv. A siege engineer by trade, Poklev crewed the ballista that fired upon the Leviathan, although his leg was crushed when the beast shattered the tower he was stationed in.'' Pouring over disturbing scouting reports of a great beast that would accompany the Baarskin and Skum forces, the party forged a plan together with Alyssa to trap the beast in the dock of the fortress, and slay it. The priestess herself would crew a small ship with waxen and sail into the bay, luring the monster back into the dock. Once there it would be assailed with volleys of Ballista fire and magic from the small contingent of mages that were garrisoned in Sudniv. To enact the plan required most of the operating ballista, the best engineers and mages in the castle. If it worked, they hoped the attack would be blunted, and the seaborn siege of the castle would fail, as so many had before. If it failed, or the beast took a different route, their forces would be too concentrated to react to the battle, and the fortress would almost certainly fall. The Battle We know Beastie well by now, though his best years are behind him. What came out of that ocean on the day of the battle was something different though. Savage it was, and old. Its shell was encrusted with barnacles, weeds hung from it like a cloak, and it reeked of the foulest depths of Ulv. I take no shame in saying I thought we were lost when i laid eyes on it, even more so when my ballista seemed not to trouble it in the slightest. The rest is a bit of a blur for me to be honest, given that I was buried in rubble for most of the battle. Close as I was to Beastie, I'm afraid I can't tell you exactly what happened. ''-Arkadi Poklev's heroic role in the fight against the monster was one of the reasons he was promoted after the battle, though many of the soldiers who served in Sudniv claim to have fought near, on, or in close quarters against the beast.'' Alyssa succeeded in luring the leviathan into the dock, though its size and ferocity far exceeded any report the party had read. The ballista and magical barrage unloaded on the creature only threw it into a rage, thrashing violently and churning the water of the bay into a frothing white. In its fury it shattered much of the battlements, sending the warriors tumbling down the rubble. Faced with no choice but to slay the beast another way, they leaped on to its great chitinous back, fighting off waves of Skum and sea monsters that had been clinging to the monster. Knowing that the back held no weak spot they could exploit, Nathad had the party cut a path through the monsters from him. Sprinting towards the head of the creature, Nathad attached a rope to one of the lodged ballista bolts, swinging himself down into the monster's face, and dealing a near-fatal blow to the creature through its eye. Belikrov I glimpsed her through the dust and rubble. Radiant she was, and beautiful. Her red hair flowed long behind her, lighting the sky up in crimson ribbons. Her pale arms were extended, and her precious blood drifted from her wrists, down into the bay. I couldn't see then, but I know now she tamed Beastie for us. Those heroes may have won us the day, but in that moment Belikrov won us our safety for the next 3 years, and hopefully longer. - Arkadi Poklev swore an oath of loyalty after the battle to Belikrov and the Cult of the Waxen Queen. The majority of the soldiers in Sudniv followed suite, having witnessed the divine intervention of the Exarch on their behalf. In the leviathan's dying moments, the Exarch Belikrov appeared above the castle, her Waxen gift infusing with the beast, converting its great body into a tool of the gods. The blinding white light that accompanied her presence brought the fighting to a standstill, and many of the forces of Xhahon Dor tried to flee following her appearance. The battle was won, the attack of Xhahon-Dor shattered, and the safety of Novdahain secured for the present. Repurcussions Its hard, standing on these walls now, to remember how dire the situation had become. We have a lot to be grateful for, but a lot to be fearful of still. This fortress is the finest in the North, protected by the greatest weapon the gods have ever given us. But all swords blunt in time, and as much as we care for Beastie, he's been chewed away by those years of conflict. I'm not sure how much longer he can protect us from the sea, but I know once he stops, I'll be praying harder for Belikrov to return, and to bring us a band of heroes as great as the last. - Arkdai Poklev, as part of his duties, oversees the care of the Beast. Anointed with oils before going into battle with its handlers and accompanying vessels, the Beast has blunted attack after attack of Xhahon-Dor's forces, scattering monsters, skum, and Baarskins to the deep. Following the victory the castle of Sudniv was repaired and expanded. The taming of the Beast gave the fortress a weapon it could use to ward off attacks by the forces of Xhahon Dor, as well as Baarskin incursions and raids. The years of conflict since the victory have weakened the creature, however, and it is unclear whether it will be able to continue to defend the keep into the future, especially if Xhahon-Dor releases a monster of similar size and ferocity. Category:Campaigns Category:Farthrone Category:Belikrov